DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Designing a canoe is a matter of tradeoffs. Enhancing one trait, such as tracking, will degrade another trait, like turning. If that weren't the case, we'd only have one canoe model. The following chart shows the key design features of any canoe. The following chart shows how each of our models stack-up against these criteria. Understanding which criteria are most important to you will help you choose your ideal canoe.
Entry Lines
Entry lines affect the speed and handling of a canoe.
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Straight vertical entry lines, like our Wilderness 18, cut through the water well and improve a canoe's speed.
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A flare at the waterline, like our Quetico, Skeena, Tranquility and Prospector lines, push the canoe up when encountering waves, allowing it to ride big water better (and keep you dryer) at the cost of a little speed.
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A fine entry line cuts through the water better, resulting in a faster canoe with better tracking. A more blunt entry line has better impact-resistance.
Fullness
Fullness refers not only to how wide a canoe is, but also to how quickly it widens-out.
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A canoe that widens-out quickly will have higher capacity.
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A canoe that widens-out quickly will be slower, but more stable.
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A canoe that widens-out quickly will be more bouyant in big waves.
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A sleek canoe that widens-out more gradually will have less volume, and tend to cut through the waves rather than ride-up on them.
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A sleek canoe that widens-out more gradually will be faster but less stable.
Rocker
Term
Considerations
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All else being equal, a longer canoe will travel faster than a shorter one.
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A longer canoe will also track straighter, but it will also be harder to turn. (There are other factors that affect manouverability – see "rocker.")
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A longer canoe will also be heavier.
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A longer canoe will generally hold more gear than a shorter one. (The height of the sides and fullness of the hull are also factors.)
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A longer canoe is more stable than a shorter canoe of the same design. (A Quetico 17 will feel more stable than a Quetico 16.)
Rocker refers to the shape of the bottom of the hull when viewed end-to-end. A canoe with no rocker is straight along the bottom. A canoe with rocker will have the ends raised up relative to the centre. All our canoes have at least some rocker, giving them the manouverability you require in most paddling situations.
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A canoe with little or no rocker will track straighter.
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A longer canoe with more rocker will steer more like a shorter canoe.
(So, even though it's a little longer, our Prospector 17.5 will turn more easily than a Quetico 17.) -
Rocker has little or no effect on speed.